Don't Say Goodbye
by thebluecrystalrose
Summary: Six years after her first betrothal, Starfire is to be wed to another mystery man. Torn and confused about where their relationship will head, Robin and Starfire have to make a tough decision.


******A/N: On my way to school this morning and had an overwhelming urge to write this. I'm not sure if it's been done before or not (I really hope it hasn't) but I feel like I can make a sweet story out of it, SO I AM! :) I hope y'all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

* * *

Don't Say Goodbye

"Starfire?" Robin asked, stepping onto the roof of the tower, "Where are you going?"

Starfire's shoulders drooped instantaneously at the sound of sadness in Robin's voice. Her feet fell back to the hard, stone ground and she turned toward him. "Robin, I am-"

"-getting married?" He finished for her, his masked eyes seeming harsh and his fists clenched, "I know. Galfore was gracious enough to call and invite us." He took her tan hand into his gloved one, "You were going to leave without saying goodbye, like you always try to do. Star, you should know by now that it's never that easy to just walk out on us, walk out on me." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he handed her the T-Communicator that she had intended to leave behind.

"I just wish it were," Starfire responded, suddenly very interested on an ant crawling across the roof. She wasn't sure how the poor little creature managed to crawl all the way to the top of Titan's Tower.

Robin sighed, "I understand, you know."

Starfire's head shot up, tears falling from her emerald eyes, "You do?" She didn't wait for him to respond before blurting, "Oh, Robin what am I to do? I..." Her voice cracked and faltered.

"Yes?"

Starfire took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I must do what is best for my planet... Even if I consider Earth my home, my responsibilities lie with Tamaran."

"I understand, Starfire." Robin responded, "It might be easier if I didn't... I don't know but-"

"I wanted it to be _you."_

Robin became very confused in a matter of seconds, "You... I_-What?"_

"When I was to be wed to Gurdle...Gleeber... Whatever he was called. After everything transpired and it was decided that I would return to Earth, I made my own decision that if I were to ever get married, my husband would be you."

It had been nearly six years since that fateful trip to Tamaran. At that point, Robin didn't want his dear friend to get married to anyone but him. He held to that assertion even after dating her for three years. Robin was surprised to discover that she had made a similar choice, and had held to it for as long as he had. They had never discussed marriage before, Robin figured they were too young to even consider it. Now, it was too late.

"Star... If I had known..."

Starfire gave him a weak smile. They had been separated for a little over a month now. This wasn't because they didn't want to be together, but because it was harder for them to wait for marriage when they lived in such close quarters. Being raised in a Christian environment, this was important for Robin to do. It was important to Starfire because she had been forced to do it once, she wasn't ready to make that decision for herself unless there was security built around it.

"I know," she said. "I didn't want you to feel obligated to-"

"No, Starfire," he practically spat, grabbing her by her shoulders. "I _wanted_ to."

Starfire escaped his embrace, wiping away a single tear that had escaped her possession. "You're the one person I care for the most in this universe, Robin. I don't want to have to say goodbye. I don't want to hear it coming from you... We had our chance."

"Everything's changing." Robin agreed. "I don't..."

"Yes, Robin?"

"I don't want anything to change. I don't want to be selfish and try to stop you from what you feel is right. I want you to do what is right in your heart, Starfire... But, I just wish that somehow included me." Robin glared at the ground in frustration, "I know that I can't be selfish, though. You have to do what you have to do. If I really loved you, and I do, with all of my heart, then I'd let you go."

Without another word, Starfire embraced him tenderly. It wasn't one of her normal, bone-crushing hugs; it was gentle and sweet... It was mostly sad. "We'll figure it out," she cooed into his ear.

* * *

"So...anyone we know?" Raven asked unenthusiastically. Robin felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu, but didn't say anything.

Starfire sat in her pod, smile void from her face. "I do not know him. Galfore has selected him for me."

"So..." Beastboy began awkwardly, "Is Robin going to be killed if he tries to touch you again?"

Robin growled at the green shapeshifter, but Starfire giggled, "No. I do not believe he will be. I have discussed that with Galfore after we left. It was too dreadful for me not to hug anybody the last time around. I absolutely despise pretentious rules like that."

Silence filled the ship again.

Cyborg was trying not to cry. Had it been six years ago, he wouldn't be that concerned about it. In her original betrothal, he knew that he'd miss Starfire but he assumed she'd be able to still fight crime with them (he later found out that wasn't the case, but it didn't matter because she didn't marry the green-blob-elephant-nosed thing). Now, he had grown closer to Starfire. Both she and Raven had become the little sisters he never had. It was decided, when Galfore contacted them, that he would walk Starfire down the aisle. He wasn't sure if he was ready for it. The others would walk down the aisle ahead of her, like a bridal party.

Beastboy sat in his pod pondering the complications that came with life. It was so strange to him that one order from the Grand Ruler of Tamaran could completely raze what he thought would happen between Starfire and Robin. Regardless, the fact was substantive, whether he wanted it to be or not.

Raven was trying her best to keep her emotions in check, meditating, reading, anything she could do. Every once in a while she'd read the thoughts of her teammates, at an attempt to understand how they felt about it. Beastboy realized she was doing this and though, "I know, Rae, I wish I knew how to fix it too."

Robin did his best to focus on the road...or the lack thereof. He wanted this to happen as soon as possible, but he also wanted enough time before everything happened to figure everything out. Everything was happening way too fast. It seemed just like yesterday that they were in Japan, and he was being the foolish, work-centered hero that he's always been. They all grew up, so quickly, and now he was about to watch the love of his life walk down the aisle to marry another man...or alien.

Starfire interrupted his thoughts, "There it is."

Her voice wasn't filled with the eagerness that it had once been those many years ago. Her words were sharp as acid, and filled with loneliness.

"BB," Cyborg said as they landed, "if you have to pee or poop or anything, I want you to morph your nasty green butt into a dog and use the bathroom that way. There's no way I'm going to let you hold it in like last time. I don't want to have messy BB grossness in the T-Sub. No sir."

Beastboy's only response was a grumbled retort about how he'd been paper-trained now and to leave him alone.

Robin helped his princess out of her pod, "You ready?"

"Not at all."

Galfore walked out to greet the team for himself, "Welcome, Titans, and my bumgorf."

Starfire flew up so she could hug her k'norfka around his neck, "I have missed you, Galfore."

"And I have missed you, Princess Starfire."

The mood was very somber. Galfore was frightened to smile at any of the Titans because they all looked very glum. He chose to ignore the bitter environment and announced, "The wedding will be tonight at moonset. Starfire, your quarters await you."

Starfire merely nodded, and gave each of her friends a tight hug. The one she gave Robin was the sweetest. "It's not goodbye," she whispered.

* * *

Starfire stared at herself in the mirror. Her wedding gown was different than the one that she had adorned those years ago. It was poofier at the bottom, more like what a human-princess would dress up in for her wedding day. It still had the Tamaranian-styled belt around her waist and collar-bone metal plate. She looked innocent, pure, and beautiful.

Galfore only came in to place her crown on her head. "Do not fear, my bumgorf, it is time for you to get married. If you wait any longer, too much time will have passed. You have had time to do the earthly dating. It is time to be put in a real committment."

"Thank you, Galfore." Starfire responded monotonously, "Your care for me is more than I could ask for. I thank you."

"It is nearing moonset, dear one." She took him by the arm and he led her to where she was to meet Cyborg. The others were to meet him in the chapel-like room.

They met Cyborg, who was fitted tightly in a nice suit that he wore to the school dance at H.I.V.E. Academy.

Starfire grinned at him as Galfore trudged along, "You look very nice, friend Cyborg."

"And you look like a princess, Starfire." He smiled softly down at her, "Come on, let's go get you to your lucky little man."

Starfire hooked arms with him, "I just wish I knew who it was. At least Blackfire let me meet my groom before the wedding. Galfore has not said a word, nor allowed me to meet anyone knew."

"Are you trying to tell me that your _sister_ is more gracious than your uncle?" Cyborg chuckled, "Maybe it's a good thing that you don't know who it is. You never know, the odds could just be working in your favor." He had his suspicions; Cyborg knew that Galfore wouldn't force Starfire to marry anybody that wasn't the one that she had been dedicated to since she arrived at Earth, the one person who had shown her the most kindness on that strange planet. Afterall, Galfore had heard Starfire say that she would pick her own husband, someday, possibly one from Earth. _Yeah, Galfore definitely got tired of waiting for these two to figure it out._

The large brass doors opened as Cyborg and Starfire neared them. At the end of the long aisle stood Galfore, looking out at the audience, and beaming at his niece. Next to him stood the remaining Titans, all dressed in their finest attire. Raven wore a long, blue dress. Robin and Beastboy wore their best tuxedos.

Starfire's fellow Tamaranians, the ones who cheered her on after she had defeated her sister, watched as she walked down to the rest of her life. It was a solemn wedding, but Starfire was even more confused than she had been before. "Cyborg... I don't see any groom waiting for me."

Cyborg merely smiled, his theory confirmed. "Maybe he'll just meet you up there..."

Robin could hear his own heart beating violently in his chest. Starfire looked absolutely beautiful. When he was younger, he used to imagine what his bride-to-be would look like as she cascaded down the aisle toward them, toward the rest of their lives. Robin choked back a sob when he realized that Starfire fit that dream perfectly.

As they arrived at the end of the aisle, Starfire made steady eye-contact with her Boy Wonder. She embraced him tightly, praying that the tears wouldn't escape her eyes. Robin clung to her tightly, wanting to remember every aspect of her body. He hoped she didn't feel him shaking. "Don't say goodbye, Starfire. Don't say goodbye."

"I won't," she murmured back. "I can't."

Galfore cleared his throat and the two, sheepishly, separated.

"Robin, Starfire, are you ready?"

Both jaws were dropped in utter confusion. "Ready for what, Galfore?" Robin inquired, pulling at the collar of his suit. This was the last thing he'd expected.

"Robin, ever since I met you six years ago I knew that it would not be appropriate for me to have my bumgorf marry anybody but her best friend, you." Galfore allowed himself to smile at the two of them, "I am becoming old, and I want to see Starfire married. You were taking far too long to make the right choice, so I decided to make it for you."

The two blushed and Robin took hold of the girl's hand, "I guess I can't say no to that."

"It isn't goodbye afterall, Robin!" Starfire squealed, "It's only the beginning."

* * *

**A/N: So, have any of you ever began writing something and, as you were writing, a song came up in your playlist that matched the idea of the story perfectly? That's exactly what happened this time. If you enjoyed this, please listen to the song "Say Goodbye" by Skillet. It surprised me how well it fit what I was trying to get across. :) Please review! Criticisms are welcome.**

**God bless,**  
**Rose**


End file.
